Travel Checklist for Stress Free travel

In your travels have you missed flight, forgotten cell phone charger or other items ? I have and realized through hard experience that memory is fickle, checklist is reliable  ! 

Recently I needed to travel to Montreal, Canada for personal reasons. Instead of preparing for the trip in an impromptu way as i have sometimes done before, I took inspiration from Checklist Manifesto Book by Atul Gawande and decided to create a detailed travel checklist. Mine is a supplement to this excellent travel checklist.  I hope you find below list useful as well in your future travels:

1. Travel Documents - If your destination is international then you need to research the entry requirements. Very likely you will need to carry your passport and optionally need a visa. If you need visa then you need to  start early as visa processing times may vary. For domestic travel make sure you are carrying drivers license or equivalent identification document with you.

2. Booking air ticket and hotel - Previously, i would search travel sites like travelocity, expedia etc. but this time i tried Google search for air travel and got some good deals. If you have any specific meal preferences make sure you request it with the airline before 24 hr of departure. Next, don't forget to do online check in within 24 hr of departure. I found it handy to do all these things via the airline app that i had downloaded on my phone. 

3. Booking Hotel stay - I used Google search for this as well. Make sure your requirements are met e.g. proximity to places you want to visit,  quiet street,  breakfast facility, good reviews etc.

4. Destination travel plan - How do you plan to get around the city ? Will you be renting a car ? If not, research if there is uber, lyft, taxi or bus service. Make sure you download the appropriate apps or phone numbers on you phone.

5. Planning for Weather - Check in advance weather forecast of your destination. I knew it would be extremely cold in Montreal in Feb and so i prepared for it (Youtube videos on this were a big help !),  I bought snow jackets, pants, gloves, balaclava, thermals. Fortunately, i had snow boots from before. I also dressed in layers - 5 layers on top (thermal, shirt, 2 sweaters, snow jacket) and 3 on bottom (thermal, woolen pant, snow pant). When i landed in Montreal it was -30 celcius (-50 fahrenheit) and i felt i was pretty well prepared when i was waiting for the taxi outside the airport.

6. Luggage - Make sure to take appropriate clothes, toiletries , medicines,  accessories (cell phone charger, ear plugs etc.) and wallet. For medicines in particular check to make sure the containers meet the travel guidelines. 

6. Travel day plan - How do you plan to go to the airport - bus, uber, taxi , drive yourself or will family member drop you ? Check in advance usual time to get to the airport via Google. Are you going during weekday rush hour traffic time or public holidays such as thanksgiving ? Allocate sufficient buffer time for traffic jams and such. In general for international flight plan to arrive in airport atleast 3 hrs in advance ( especially if you are checking in baggage). This means you may need to change your usual morning routine.  

7. Contingency planning - Make sure you have fully charged your phone, Laptop, airpods etc. before leaving. Carry cash of your native country and the country you are visiting. Food such as energy bar, water in case there is no snacks served in the flight. Let your credit card company know in advance about your travel so they don't block card transactions. Keep handy key phone numbers - hotel/place you will be staying, family phone numbers etc. 

With the busyness of life it's not uncommon to forget to take some keys things when travelling.  The above checklist kept me on track and really made my travel stress free and comfortable. I hope by now i have convinced you to start using travel checklists if you weren't already. For me, now i  have a renewed appreciation of checklist and plan to use them more in other areas of life.